Thin stone or thin brick veneer wall system and clips therefor

ABSTRACT

A wall system, particularly for thin stone or thin brick veneer walls, has a plurality of stones or bricks with grooves running along the upper and lower edges and a plurality of clips for linking the stones or bricks. One type of clip having one or more connecting flanges links an upper stone or brick to a lower stone or brick with the one or more connecting flanges housed within the groove in the lower edge of the upper stone or brick and within the groove in the upper edge of the lower stone or brick. The one or more connecting flanges of the clip depend from one or more base flanges of the clip and have a width just equal to the distance from the rear face to the groove of the upper and lower stones or bricks. The one or more base flanges of the clip depend from a support flange of the clip. The support flange has one or more apertures for accepting a screw or nail for fastening the clip to a structural wall.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to thin stone or thin brick veneer wallsystems and to clips for fastening facing elements thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Masonry veneer walls are typically constructed by laying bricks, blocksor other stone product in courses and mortaring the top of each courseas the wall is being built from the bottom up. Conventionally, the lowercourse of bricks, blocks or other stone product is supported on afoundation (e.g. poured concrete) or an engineered angle iron to carrythe mass load. Such construction requires a skilled masonry contractorand is very time consuming. Further, since individual bricks, blocks orother stone products are relatively thick and heavy at full depth, suchconstruction is also expensive and leads to veneer walls of greatweight.

To decrease the weight of the veneer wall, stone-like or brick-likeproducts comprising polymeric materials or polymer/cement compositeshave been developed. Such materials tend to be lighter in weight butlose aesthetic appeal since they do not look sufficiently like brick ornatural stone. In addition, such products are more costly and, in mostcases, require a specific contractor to install them.

So-called thin stone or thin brick products have been developed, whichare made by splitting cement blocks and then further dressing the frontface if desired. Such products have a more natural stone or brickappearance, however, finding ways to easily, inexpensively and quicklyconstruct veneer walls using such thin stones or thin bricks has beenproblematic. Typically in the art, thin stone or thin brick veneer wallsare constructed by the so-called “lick and stick” method, which involvesthe use of epoxy adhesive to secure the thin stone or thin brick toplywood or OSB cladding, or which involves the use of metal lath with ascratch coat of Portland mortar. Such an adhered thin stone or thinbrick system is inherently less secure since improper application of theadhesive can lead to stones or bricks separating from the wall, which isboth a nuisance and a safety problem. Such adhered thin stone or thinbrick systems are typically only used in lower floor applications ofresidential and commercial buildings. Design professionals hesitate touse them on multi-floor buildings. Further, the adhered thin stone orthin brick system has not, in the past, been used in conjunction withother wall elements such as drainage board and weather-resistant wrap,thus thin stone or thin brick products have been preponderantly used incommercial building applications.

Various bracket or clip systems have been developed to affix veneerpanels of various sorts to a structural wall. Although useful inparticular cases, such systems lack versatility and simplicity,requiring brackets or clips with complicated structures and/or severalseparate components. Such brackets or clips are more difficult to secureto structural walls and/or require tedious and time-consuming alignmentof panels. There remains a need in the art for a more versatile, secureand mechanically stronger thin stone or thin brick veneer wall systemthat is easier and faster to install requiring less skilled labor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is provided a thin stone or thin brick wall system comprising: aplurality of stone or brick facing elements, each facing, element havinga weight, a thickness, an upper edge and a lower edge, the upper edge,the lower edge or both the upper and lower edges of each facing elementhaving a groove running along the edge at a distance from a rear face ofthe facing element, the groove having a length, a width and a depth;and, a plurality of clips for linking the facing elements, the pluralityof clips comprising one or more first clips for linking upper facingelements to lower facing elements, each of the first clips having one ormore connecting flanges housed within the groove in the lower edge ofone of the upper facing elements and within the groove in the upper edgeof one of the lower facing elements, the one or more connecting flangesof the first clip depending from one or more base flanges of the firstclip, the one or more base flanges of the first clip depending from asupport flange of the first clip, the support flange having one or moreapertures for accepting fastening means for fastening the first clip toa structural wall, and the one or more base flanges having a width justequal to the distance from the rear face to the groove of the upper andlower facing elements.

There is further provided a clip for linking first and second stone orbrick facing elements in a thin stone or thin brick wall system, eachfacing element having a weight, a thickness, an upper edge and a loweredge, the first facing element having a groove in the lower edgethereof, the second facing element having a groove in the upper edgethereof, each groove running along its respective edge at a distancefrom a rear face of its respective facing element, each groove having alength, a width and a depth, the clip comprising: one or more connectingflanges housable within the groove in the lower edge of the first facingelement and within the groove in the upper edge of one of the secondfacing elements; the one or more connecting flanges depending at rightangles from one or more base flanges; the one or more base flangesdepending at right angles from a support flange, the support flangehaving one or more apertures for accepting fastening means for fasteningthe clip to a structural wall; and, the one or more base flanges havinga width just equal to the distance from the rear face to the groove ofeach facing element.

There is yet further provided a sill clip for retaining detail pieces ofa thin stone or thin brick wall system, each detail piece being a thinstone or thin brick facing element, the facing element having athickness and an edge, the edge having a groove therein running alongthe edge at a distance from a rear face of the facing element, thegroove having a length, a width and a depth, the sill clip comprising: aconnecting flange that is housable within the groove in the edge of thefacing elements; the connecting flange depending at a right angle from afirst base flange; the first base flange depending at a right angle froma support flange, the support flange oriented upwardly; the supportflange having one or more apertures for accepting fastening means forfastening the sill clip to a structural wall; and, the first base flangehaving a width just equal to the distance from the rear face to thegroove of the facing element.

There is still yet further provided a starter strip for supporting stoneor brick facing elements in a thin stone or thin brick wall system, eachfacing element having a weight, a thickness and an edge, the edge havinga groove therein running along the edge at a distance from a rear faceof the facing elements, the groove having a length, a width and a depth,the starter strip comprising: a linking flange that is housed within thegroove in the edge of one or more of the facing elements; the linkingflange depending from a base flange; the base flange depending from asupport flange; the support flange having one or more apertures foraccepting fastening means for fastening the starter strip to astructural wall; the base flange having a width greater than thedistance from the rear faces to the grooves of the facing elements; and,the starter strip having a length long enough to span two or moreadjacent facing elements.

The wall system of the present invention, including the clips therefor,is useful in constructing so-called “thin stone” or “thin brick” veneerwalls. Thin brick and thin stone differs from regular brick or stonecladding by virtue of the way in which the facing element ismanufactured and by virtue of the size and weight of the facing element.Thin stone or thin brick may be manufactured by splitting concreteblocks and, if desired, further dressing the outer face of the stone.Thin brick may also be manufactured by molding clay into brick-shapedobjects and firing the clay for hardness. Thin stone or thin brick isabout 1.25 inches thick and building codes require thin stone or thinbrick to be not heavier than 15 pounds per square foot, as opposed toregular stone which is typically 3.5 inches thick and may be heavierthan 15 pounds per square foot. The code for thin stone arises primarilyfrom prior art adhered thin stone cladding systems in which the stone isaffixed to a building by an epoxy adhesive or with metal lath and ascratch coat of mortar (the so-called “lick & stick” method).

The wall system of the present invention advantageously provides a moreversatile, secure and mechanically stronger veneer wall than has beenpreviously realized in the art for thin stone or thin brick. Facingelements are easier and faster to install than in previous systems, andrequire less skilled labor thereby permitting general tradesman and eventhe average building owner to erect a thin stone or thin brick veneerwall.

Further, the present wall system advantageously permits mounting offacing elements on any variety of structural walls (e.g. wood studs,steel studs and concrete), and may actually increase the strength of astud wall, rather than decrease it as is the case with prior artsystems. Additionally, the present system permits excellent watermanagement and ventilation between the veneer and the structural wall.

Yet further, the present wall system advantageously permits constructionof thin stone or thin brick veneer walls having virtually any kind ofappearance. For example, construction of random bond veneer walls havingrandom size coursing by mixing different heights and lengths of stone orbrick, or single size coursing with stones or bricks of the same heightand length are both possible using the same wall system. It is alsopossible to do big dimensional stone units without sacrificing strengthor appearance. Either a mortar joint wall or a mortarless wall, or evena mixture of both, may constructed using the present wall system.Pre-prepared corner facing elements are easily incorporated into thepresent wall system and may be used to provide a full Bed-Depth stoneappearance at the corners.

In a wall system of the present invention, facing elements preferablyhave grooves formed and/or cut into both the upper and lower edges. Thegrooves preferably run along the edges at a fixed distance from the rearface of the facing element. Preferably, the grooves run along the entirelength of the upper and lower edges. The facing elements may also havegrooves formed and/or cut into one or both, preferably both, side edges.The grooves in the side edges preferably have the same depth and widthas those in the upper and lower edges, and are preferably the samedistance from the rear face. In a particularly preferred embodiment,there is one continuous groove running along the edges around theperimeter of the facing element.

Two types of facing elements may be defined depending on their locationin the wall. A first type is used in the middle of the wall and thesecond type is a corner element. The first type of facing element isgenerally of a panel type construction having a rear face, a front(outer) face, upper and lower edges and side edges. The front face is asurface that presents in one direction only.

Corner elements (the second type of facing element) have a rear face, afront (outer) face, upper and lower edges and side edges as well, butthey generally have complicated profiles so that the front face presentsin two or more directions. Corner elements are preferably one-piececonstructions having parts held together by connecting pins, the pinspreferably set in an adhesive, e.g. an epoxy adhesive. The pins arepreferably steel pins, more preferably stainless steel or galvanizedsteel, even more preferably stainless steel. Such corner elements permitthe use of standard sized stones or bricks while maintaining a cleanappearance at corners. In one example, the corner element is generallyL-shaped comprising a first part attached to a second part. The outerface of the first part is longer than and at a right angle to the outerface of the second part. A plurality of such corner elements may bevertically overlapped alternating the directions of the first and secondparts to provide a veneer wall with a clean looking corner having a fullBed-Depth appearance.

In forming a veneer wall, a plurality of facing elements are mounted ona structural wall and arranged next to each other in a desired pattern.In order to mount the facing elements on the structural wall and to linkthe facing elements to each other, a plurality of specially designedclips are used. Each clip comprises a support flange, one or more baseflanges, and one or more connecting flanges for insertion into thegrooves in the facing elements. Each clip is fastened individually tothe structural wall, therefore each facing element is individuallysecured to the structural wall leading to improved mechanical strengthfor the veneer wall. The profile of each clip depends on its particularfunction in the wall system. Three types of clips may be defineddepending on where they are used in the wall system.

A first type of clip is used between upper and lower facing elements tolink the upper and lower stone facing elements and to mount the stonefacing elements to the structural wall. The first type of clip has asupport flange, one or more base flanges depending from the supportflange, preferably at a right angle, and one or more connecting flangesdepending from the one or more base flanges, preferably at right angles.Preferably, the support flange has one or more apertures, preferably oneaperture, for accepting fastening means for fastening the clip to thestructural wall. The one or more connecting flanges are housed withinthe groove on the lower edge of the upper facing element and within thegroove on the upper edge of the lower facing element. The one or moreconnecting flanges preferably do not bottom-out in the grooves so thatthe weight of the facing elements is borne by the base flange.

The one or more base flanges of the first type of clip have a width justequal to the distance from the groove to the rear face of the facingelements. The length of the first clip is preferably much less than thelength of the groove so that the clip may be positioned at any one of aplurality of positions along the groove. This provides great versatilityin respect of where the clip will be fastened to the structural wall andthe size of the facing element being used. This versatility leads to theability to create virtually any pattern of stone or brick on the veneerwall while having each stone or brick mounted individually to thestructural wall. This versatility also facilitates retrofitting of oldbuildings or sections of old buildings.

Facing elements for veneer walls may be of any convenient length andheight. For example, some standard heights for stone include 3.5, 5.5and 7.5 inches, while some standard lengths include 5.0, 10.5 and 15.5inches. For bricks, standard width×height×length in inches are,respectively, for modular size 3.625×2.5×7.625, for utility size3.625×3.625×11.625, and for premier size 3.5×3×9.75. The lengths andheights of facing elements can be customized for any particularapplication. Dimensions of facing elements are preferably set to allowthe system to course out in an architectural grid. Architectural gridsare preferably 4″×4″ or 100 mm×100 mm depending on location to allow forwindows, openings, corners and overall placement of walls. When usingfacing elements of various heights in a single veneer wall, it ispreferable that the height of one bigger facing element is equal to theheight of two smaller facing elements plus the height of the clip, sothat level joint lines can be maintained across the span of the veneerwall.

Preferably, the first clip has a length less than half the length of thegroove. However, it is possible to utilize first clips having lengths of4-foot or 8-foot, for example, and having drainage holes in the baseflange or flanges for single height coursing.

The first clip may be utilized in a similar manner to link facingelements in a side-by-side arrangement. Instead of orienting the one ormore connecting flanges linking vertically arranged facing elements, theclip can be positioned to orient the connecting flanges horizontally.The flanges are then housed within the grooves on the side edges ofadjacent facing elements.

A first embodiment of the first clip may be utilized in constructing aveneer wall having mortar joints. The first clip in the first embodimenthas two base flanges in spaced-apart relation depending from the supportflange. An upwardly depending flange depends from a first base flangeand a downwardly depending flange depends from a second base flange.Therefore, when the upper and lower stone facing elements are linked bythe clip, the spaced-apart base flanges provide space for a mortar jointbetween the upper and lower facing elements. In a similar way, mortarjoints can be formed between horizontally adjacent facing elements.Preferably, the spaced-apart base flanges are about 10 mm apart, whichautomatically provides 10 mm mortar joints over the entire veneer wall,which is standard in the stone facing industry. Once the veneer wall hasbeen constructed, the mortar joints may be filled with mortar by anysuitable means, for example, mortar guns, grout pumps, trowels, etc.Mortar filling the mortar joint helps prevent the clip from deflectingor collapsing since the mortar fills the space between the base flangesthereby providing support for the base flanges. Mortar may also enterthe grooves thereby helping key the upwardly and downwardly dependingflanges into the grooves. This helps strengthen the clip and adds tooverall strength of the wall system.

A second embodiment of the first clip may be utilized in constructing aveneer wall having mortar joints. The first clip in the secondembodiment has a cylindrical base flange. Depending outwardly at a rightangle from one end of the cylindrical base flange is a circularconnecting flange. Depending inwardly at a right angle from the otherend of the cylindrical base flange is a circular support flange. Thediameter of the cylindrical base flange provides spacing for the mortarjoint and is preferably about 10 mm. Since the connecting flange iscircular, the orientation of the clip when fastened to the wall is notimportant as the connecting flange will be housed in the grooves of thefacing elements on any side of the clip. Fastening the clip to thestructural wall may be accomplished by inserting the fastening means(e.g. a screw) through the central bore of the cylindrical base flangeand through an aperture in the support flange. Since the base flange iscylindrical, both the length and the height of the clip are equal to thediameter of the base flange. The width of the clip corresponds to thecylindrical height. Once the veneer wall has been constructed, themortar joints may be filled with mortar by any suitable means, forexample, mortar guns, grout pumps, trowels, etc. Mortar filling themortar joint helps prevent the clip from deflecting or collapsing sincethe mortar fills the cylindrical bore of the base flange therebyproviding support for the base flanges. Mortar may also enter thegrooves thereby helping key the connecting flange into the grooves. Thishelps strengthen the clip and adds to overall strength of the wallsystem.

A third embodiment of the first clip may be utilized in constructing amortarless veneer curtain wall. The first clip in the third embodimenthas one base flange with upwardly and downwardly depending flangesdepending from one end of the base flange. Therefore, when the upper andlower facing elements are linked by the clip there is virtually no spaceat the joint between the facing elements. To accommodate the thicknessof the base flange, a thin portion of the edges at the rear face of thefacing elements may be ground to form a seat. The third embodiment ofthe first clip can provide consistent horizontal leveling with astandard spacing (e.g. 0.03125 inches). Stacking facing elements in sucha mortarless veneer curtain wall can give a stacked-stone appearance.The edges at the front face of the facing elements may be beveled tomake the joint look like a mortar joint. Similarly, mortarless jointscan be formed between horizontally adjacent facing elements.

A second type of clip is a sill clip useful for detail pieces such aswindow/door surrounds, candles, headers, keystones and stencil stones.Sills clips are similar to the first embodiment of the first clip exceptthat they do not have either the upwardly or downwardly depending flangesince there is no facing elements on one side of the sill clip.

A third type of clip is a starter strip. Starter strips are utilized tosupport facing elements of the veneer wall from below, from above orfrom one side, but not from any combination thereof simultaneously.Starter strips are particularly useful at the very bottom of the wall,the very top of the wall, the extreme sides of the wall, or over windowor door openings. Starter strips are useful wherever there is asignificant boundary at an edge of the veneer wall. Starter strips maybe straight or curved. Curved starter strips are particularly useful tospan archways and the like.

The starter strip has a support flange, a base flange depending from thesupport flange, preferably at a right angle, and a linking flangedepending from the base flange, preferably at a right angle andpreferably depending in the same direction as the support flange.Preferably, the support flange of the starter strip has one or moreapertures, preferably two or more apertures, for accepting fasteningmeans for fastening the starter strip to the structural wall. Thelinking flange is housed within the groove on the edge of the facingelement. The linking flange preferably does not bottom-out in thegroove. Preferably the base flange of the starter strip has one or moredrainage holes for permitting moisture to escape from the behind theveneer wall.

The starter strip has a length long enough to span two or more adjacentfacing elements. The starter strip has a length preferably from about 3to 12 feet, more preferably about 4 or about 8 feet. The base flangepreferably has a width greater than the distance from the groove to therear face of the facing element. The greater width accommodates otherwall elements behind the facing elements.

Clips are fastened to the structural wall by fastening means, forexample screws and nails, preferably screws. All clips and fasteningmeans preferably comprise strong, durable material, for example plasticand/or steel, in particular galvanized steel or stainless steel.Stainless steel is preferred.

Typical wall construction, residential or commercial, comprises astructural wall clad with a veneer wall. The structural wall may be woodframe construction (e.g. 2×4 or 2×6 wood studs), steel frameconstruction, or poured concrete block construction. The structural wallpreferably includes sheet material, for example wood-based sheetmaterial (e.g. plywood, OSB), non-combustible sheet material orcombinations thereof, mounted on the frame. In constructing a thin stoneor thin brick veneer wall with the system of the present invention,clips are secured to the structural wall, particularly to the sheetmaterial, and the facing elements set on the clips. The veneer wall isgenerally built from the bottom up in courses, and, if desired, eachcourse is leveled to ensure a consistent appearance over the entireveneer wall. If mortar joints are used, the mortar joints are thenfilled with mortar, for example Type N Mortar, which is particularlyrecommended for thin stone applications. Type N Mortar is 1 part Type NPortland Lime cement mixed with 3 parts masonry sand. Type N PortlandLime cement is a mixture of 1 part Portland cement with 1 part hydratedlime. Type N-High Bond mortar (e.g. Quikrete™) is also particularlyuseful since it is available in pre-blended bags, and all one must do isadd water.

Although the wall system of the present invention can be mounted on astructural wall without any other wall elements, it is preferable, andoften required by building codes, to use other wall elements, inparticular to protect the structural wall from the effects of moisture.Other wall elements include, for example, weather-resisting wall wrap(e.g. Tyvek™, Typar™, etc.), rubber membranes, vertical drainage board(e.g. J-DRain™), drain fabric (e.g. felt paper), etc.

Further features of the invention will be described or will becomeapparent in the course of the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, embodimentsthereof will now be described in detail by way of example, withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is perspective view of a thin stone facing element useful in awall system of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a top view of the stone facing element of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C is a side view of the stone facing element of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1D is a perspective view of a thin stone facing element having ashorter length than the stone facing element of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1E is an enlarged view of a portion of the side view of FIG. 1C;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a corner stone facing element useful ina wall system of the present invention;

FIG. 2B is a top view of the corner stone facing element of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2C is a right side view of the corner stone facing element of FIG.2A;

FIG. 2D is a left side view of the corner stone facing element of FIG.2A;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a starter strip of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3B is a side view of the starter strip of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3C is a front view of the starter strip of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3D is a top view of the starter strip of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a first clip ofthe present invention;

FIG. 4B is a side view of the clip of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 4C is a front view of the clip of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a first clip ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5B is a side view of the clip of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 5C is a front view of the clip of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a first clip ofthe present invention;

FIG. 6B is a side view of the clip of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 6C is a front view of the clip of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a sill clip of the present invention;

FIG. 7B is a side view of the sill clip of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 7C is a front view of the sill clip of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8A is a side cross-sectional view of a section of a wall system ofthe present invention having mortar joints between stones; and,

FIG. 8B is a side cross-sectional view of a section of a mortarless wallsystem of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1A-1D, thin stone facing element 1 comprises frontface 2, rear face 3, upper edge 4, lower edge 5 and two side edges 6.Groove 7 in the upper edge runs the entire length of the stone facingelement from one side to the other side. Groove 8 in the lower edge runsthe entire length of the stone facing element from one side to the otherside. The front face of the stone facing element is dressed foraesthetic appeal since the front face presents outwardly when mounted ina veneer wall. Stone facing element 1 is 15.5 inches long by 7.5 inchesin height. Stone facing element 9 depicted in FIG. 1D is the same asstone facing element 1 except that stone facing element 9 is only 5.0inches long. Stone facing elements 1 and 9 may be used together in athin stone veneer wall, and together with other sized stone facingelements if desired, to provide a more random appearance to the veneerwall.

Referring specifically to FIG. 1E, an enlarged portion of the side viewdepicted in FIG. 1C shows upper edge 4, groove 7 in the upper edge, aportion of front face 2 and a portion of rear face 3. Distance A is thethickness of stone facing element 1 and is 1.25 inches. Distance B isthe distance from the groove to the rear face and is 0.625±0.0625inches. Distance C is the depth of groove 7 and is 0.25 −0/+0.125inches. Distance D is the width of groove 7 and is 0.086 inches.Referring to FIGS. 1A-1C, groove 8 in lower edge 5 has similardimensions and location as groove 7 in the upper edge 4. Groove size andlocation is similar in stone facing element 9 of FIG. 1D.

Referring to FIGS. 2A-2D, one-piece corner stone facing element 10comprises short part 19 a and long part 19 b having front faces 12 a, 12b respectively, forming a right angle. Upper edge 14 has groove 17running the entire length of both the short part and the long part.Where the short part meets the long part, groove 17 undergoes a changein direction of 90-degrees. Groove 18 in lower edge 15 is similar togroove 17 in upper edge 14. Left side edge 16 a is the side edge ofshort part 19 a and right side edge 16 b is the side edge of long part19 b. The short and long parts have rear faces 13 a,13 b respectively.Front faces 12 a,12 b form the front (outer) face of the corner stonefacing element and rear faces 13 a,13 b form the rear (inner) face ofthe corner stone facing element. In building a corner of a veneer wall,corner stone facing elements may by stacked with the short and longparts in alternating directions in order to give a full Bed-Depthappearance to the corner.

Referring to FIGS. 3A-3D, stainless steel starter strip 20 is 4 feetlong and comprises support flange 21 depending upwardly at a right anglefrom one edge of base flange 22. Depending upwardly at a right anglefrom the other edge of base flange 22 is linking flange 23. Sevenapertures 24 (only one labeled) in support flange 21 are 0.177 inches indiameter, which is sized to accept #8 stainless steel screws forfastening the starter strip to OSB, plywood and/or non-combustiblesheets of a structural wall. Twelve drainage holes 25 (only one labeled)in base flange 22 permit drainage of moisture out the bottom of thestarter strip. The first and last apertures of the seven apertures 24are each 1.5 inches from their respective ends of the support flange andapertures 24 are 7.5 inches apart, measured from the centers of theapertures. The first and last drainage holes of the twelve drainageholes 25 are each 2 inches from their respective ends of the base flangeand drainage holes 25 are 4 inches apart, measured from the centers ofthe drainage holes. The drainage holes are 0.25 inches in diameter.

Referring specifically to FIG. 3B, a side (end) view of the starterstrip is shown, but not to the same scale as FIGS. 3A, 3C and 3D.Distance E is the height of the support flange, which is 1±0.125 inches.Distance F is the width of the base flange, which is 1−0/+0.0625 inches.Distance G is the height of the linking flange, which is0.1875+0/−0.03125 inches.

The starter strip is made by stamping out the desired apertures anddrainage holes in a single flat strip of #24 AWG stainless steel (0.027inches thick), and then bending the strip appropriately to form thestarter strip.

Referring to FIGS. 4A-4C, stainless steel clip 30 is useful for linkingupper and lower stone facing elements in a thin stone veneer wall withmortar joints. Upwardly depending flange 33 a depends upwardly at aright angle from one edge of upper base flange 32 a. Downwardlydepending flange 33 b depends downwardly at a right angle from one edgeof lower base flange 32 b. Upper and lower base flanges 32 a,32 brespectively, are parallel to and spaced-apart from each other to form amortar joint. Support flange 31 joins upper and lower base flanges 32a,32 b at the ends of the base flanges opposite the ends from which theupwardly and downwardly depending flanges depend. Upper base flange 32 adepends from support flange 31 at a right angle from the upper edge ofthe support flange. Lower base flange 32 b depends from support flange31 at a right angle from the lower edge of the support flange. Aperture34 in support flange 31 is 0.177 inches in diameter, which is sized toaccept a #8 stainless steel screw for fastening the clip to OSB, plywoodor non-combustible sheet of a structural wall.

Referring specifically to FIG. 4B, distance H is the height of thesupport flange, which is 10±0 mm. This provides a mortar joint about 10mm wide. Distance I is the width of the base flange which is0.75±0.03125 inches and is about the same as the distance from a groovein a stone facing element to the rear face of the stone facing element.Distance I also provides a mortar joint about 0.75 inches deep. DistanceJ is the height of the clip, which is 0.78125 inches. Distance K is theheight of upwardly depending flange 33 a, which is 0.1875+0/−0.03125inches. The height of downwardly depending flange 33 b is the same asthe upwardly depending flange.

Referring specifically to FIG. 4C, distance L is the distance from thecenter of aperture 34 to the edge of the clip, which is 0.5 inches.Distance M is the length of the clip, which is 1 inch.

Referring to FIGS. 5A-5C, stainless steel clip 90 is useful for linkingupper and lower stone facing elements in a thin stone veneer wall withmortar joints. Circular outwardly depending flange 93 depends outwardlyat a right angle from one end of cylindrical base flange 92. Circularoutwardly depending flange 93 is upwardly depending at 93 a anddownwardly depending at 93 b. Support flange 91 forms a base ofcylindrical base flange 92 at the end opposite outwardly dependingflange 93. Support flange 91 depends at a right angle from and inwardlyinto cylindrical base flange 92. Aperture 94 in support flange 91 is0.177 inches in diameter, which is sized to accept a #8 stainless steelscrew for fastening the clip to OSB, plywood or non-combustible sheet ofa structural wall. The cylindrical shape of base flange 92 and thecircular shape of outwardly depending flange 93 provides n-fold symmetryaround an axis through the middle of base flange 92 and aperture 94,which removes the need to specifically orient upwardly and downwardlydepending flanges in order to connect upper and lower facing elements ina thin stone or thin brick wall system.

Referring specifically to FIG. 5B, distance HH is the interior diameterof the cylindrical base flange, which is 10±0 mm. This provides a mortarjoint about 10 mm wide. Distance II is the width of the base flange(cylindrical height) which is 0.75±0.03125 inches and is about the sameas the distance from a groove in a stone facing element to the rear faceof the stone facing element. Distance II also provides a mortar jointabout 0.75 inches deep. Distance JJ is the height of the clip (circulardiameter of outwardly depending flange 93), which is 0.78125 inches.Distance KK is the distance that outwardly depending flange 93 extendsbeyond base flange 92, which is 0.1875+0/−0.03125 inches.

Referring specifically to FIG. 5C, distance LL is the distance from thecenter of aperture 94 to the edge of the clip, which is 0.390625 inches.Distance MM is the length of the clip (circular diameter of outwardlydepending flange 93), which is 0.78125 inches. Distances JJ and MM arethe same.

Referring to FIGS. 6A-6C, stainless steel clip 40 is useful for linkingupper and lower stone facing elements in a thin stone veneer wall withmortarless joints. Upwardly depending flanges 43 a depend upwardly at aright angle from one edge of base flange 42. Downwardly depending flange43 b depends downwardly at a right angle from one edge of base flange42. Support flange 41 depends upwardly from base flange 42 at a rightangle from the end of the base flange opposite the end from which theupwardly and downwardly depending flanges depend. Aperture 44 in supportflange 41 is 0.177 inches in diameter, which is sized to accept a #8stainless steel screw for fastening the clip to OSB, plywood ornon-combustible sheet of a structural wall. Since clip 40 has a singlebase flange, the upwardly and downwardly depending flanges meet and nomortar joint is formed.

Referring specifically to FIG. 6B, distance N is the height of thesupport flange, which is 10 mm. Distance O is the width of the baseflange, which is 0.8125 inches, and is about the same as the distancefrom a groove in a stone facing element to the rear face of the stonefacing element. Distance P is the height of upwardly depending flanges43 a, which is 0.1875+0/−0.03125 inches. The height of downwardlydepending flange 43 b is the same as the upwardly depending flanges.

Referring specifically to FIG. 6C, distance Q is the length ofdownwardly depending flange 43 b, which is 0.375 inches. Distance R isthe length of one of the upwardly depending flanges 43 a, which is0.3125 inches. Both upwardly depending flanges have the same length.Distance S is the length of the clip, which is 1 inch.

Referring to FIGS. 7A-7C, stainless steel sill clip 50 is useful forretaining stone facing elements around a window sill in a thin stoneveneer wall with mortar joints. Downwardly depending flange 53 dependsdownwardly at a right angle from one edge of lower base flange 52 b.There is no upwardly depending flange. Upper and lower base flanges 52a,52 b respectively, are parallel to and spaced-apart from each other toform a mortar joint. Support flange 51 joins upper and lower baseflanges 52 a,52 b at the ends of the base flanges opposite the end ofthe lower base flange from which the downwardly depending flangedepends. Upper base flange 52 a depends from support flange 51 at aright angle from the upper edge of the support flange. Lower base flange52 b depends from support flange 51 at a right angle from the lower edgeof the support flange. Aperture 54 in support flange 51 is 0.177 inchesin diameter, which is sized to accept a #8 stainless steel screw forfastening the clip to OSB, plywood or non-combustible sheet of astructural wall.

Referring specifically to FIG. 7B, distance T is the height of thesupport flange, which is 10±0 mm. This provides a mortar joint about 10mm wide. Distance U is the width of lower base flange 52 b which is0.75±0.03125 inches and is about the same as the distance from a groovein a stone facing element to the rear face of the stone facing element.Distance U also provides a mortar joint about 0.75 inches deep. DistanceV is the height of the clip, which is 0.59375 inches. Distance W is theheight of downwardly depending flange 53, which is 0.1875+0/−0.03125inches.

Referring specifically to FIG. 7C, distance X is the distance from thecenter of aperture 54 to the edge of the sill clip, which is 0.5 inches.Distance Y is the length of the sill clip, which is 1 inch.

Clips may be made by stamping out appropriately spaced apertures in asingle strip of #20 AWG stainless steel (0.0359 inches thick), bendingthe strip appropriately to form a bent strip of the correct profile, andthen cutting individual clips out of the bent strip. Also, sill clipsmay be conveniently produced in small quantities on a job site bycutting off either the upwardly or downwardly depending flange of clipsof FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 8A, a side cross-sectional view of a section of a thinstone veneer wall system having mortar joints depicts upper and lowerstone facing elements 101,102 respectively, mounted to a wood stud wallclad with ⅝″ plywood 103. The upper and lower stone facing elements arelinked by stainless steel clip 30, which is secured to the plywood with#8 stainless steel screw 110. Clip 30 provides for a 10 mm mortar joint130 between the upper and lower stone facing elements. Lower stonefacing element 102 is retained at its lower edge by starter strip 20,which is secured to the plywood with #8 stainless steel screw 111. Upperstone facing element 101 is retained at its upper edge by sill clip 50,which is secured to the plywood with #8 stainless steel screw 112. Sillclip 50 provides for a 10 mm mortar joint 150 beneath window sill 104.

Between the plywood and the stone facing elements adjacent the plywoodis a layer of Tyvek™ wrap 105. Between the Tyvek™ layer and the stonefacing elements is a corrugated vertical drainage panel, J-DRain™ 300,106, and between the J-DRain™ 300 and the stone facing elements is alayer of felt cloth 107 to prevent mortar from clogging channels in theJ-DRain™ 300. Screws 110,112 securing clip 30 and sill clip 50respectively pierce the J-DRain™ 300 layer since the clips are onlyabout as wide as the distance from the groove to the rear face of thestone facing elements. Screw 111 securing starter strip 20 does notpierce the J-DRain™ 300 since the starter strip is wider than thedistance from the groove to the rear face of the stone facing elementand is wide enough to accommodate the stone facing element and theJ-DRain™ 300. Drainage holes in the base flange of the starter strippermit drainage of any moisture caught between the stone facing elementsand the plywood.

Referring to FIG. 8B, a side cross-sectional view of a section of amortarless thin stone veneer wall system depicts upper and lower stonefacing elements 201,202 respectively, mounted to a wood stud wall cladwith OSB 203. The upper and lower stone facing elements are linked bystainless steel clip 40 a, which is secured to the OSB with #8 stainlesssteel screw 210. Lower stone facing element 202 is retained at its loweredge by starter strip 20, which is secured to the OSB with #8 stainlesssteel screw 211. Upper stone facing element 201 is retained at its upperedge by stainless steel clip 40 b, which is secured to the OSB with #8stainless steel screw 212. Clip 40 a provides a standard spacing of0.0625 inches between upper and lower stone facing elements 201,202. Themortarless thin stone veneer wall continues upwardly from upper stonefacing element 201 in a similar fashion.

Between the OSB and the stone facing elements adjacent the plywood is alayer of Tyvek™ wrap 205. Between the Tyvek™ layer and the stone facingelements is a corrugated vertical drainage panel, J-DRain™ 300, 206.Screw 210 securing clip 40 pierces the J-DRain™ 300 layer since the clipis only about as wide as the distance from the groove to the rear faceof the stone facing elements. Screw 211 securing starter strip 20 doesnot pierce the J-DRain™ 300 since the starter strip is wider than thedistance from the groove to the rear face of the stone facing elementand is wide enough to accommodate the stone facing element and theJ-DRain™ 300. Drainage holes in the base flange of the starter strippermit drainage of any moisture caught between the stone facing elementsand the OSB.

Other advantages which are inherent to the structure are obvious to oneskilled in the art. The embodiments are described herein illustrativelyand are not meant to limit the scope of the invention as claimed.Variations of the foregoing embodiments will be evident to a person ofordinary skill and are intended by the inventor to be encompassed by thefollowing claims.

1. A thin stone or thin brick wall system comprising: (a) a plurality ofstone or brick facing elements, each facing element having a weight, athickness, an upper edge and a lower edge, the upper edge, the loweredge or both the upper and lower edges of each facing element having agroove running along the edge at a distance from a rear face of thefacing element, the groove having a length, a width and a depth; and,(b) a plurality of clips for linking the facing elements, the pluralityof clips comprising one or more first clips for linking upper facingelements to lower facing elements, each of the first clips having one ormore connecting flanges housed within the groove in the lower edge ofone of the upper facing elements and within the groove in the upper edgeof one of the lower facing elements, the one or more connecting flangesof the first clip depending from one or more base flanges of the firstclip, the one or more base flanges of the first clip depending from asupport flange of the first clip, the support flange having one or moreapertures for accepting fastening means for fastening the first clip toa structural wall, and the one or more base flanges having a width justequal to the distance from the rear face to the groove of the upper andlower facing elements.
 2. The wall system of claim 1, wherein the firstclip has a length less than half the length of the groove to permitpositioning of the first clip at any one of a plurality of positionsalong the groove.
 3. The wall system of claim 1, wherein the one or moreconnecting flanges of each of the first clips do not bottom-out in thegrooves so that the weight of the upper facing elements is borne by thebase flanges of the first clips.
 4. The wall system of claim 1, whereinthe one or more apertures in the support flange is one aperture.
 5. Thewall system of claim 1, wherein the one or more base flanges of thefirst clip comprises first and second base flanges, the first and secondbase flanges depending from the support flange of the first clip toprovide a mortar joint between the first and second base flanges, andwherein the one or more connecting flanges of the first clip comprisesan upwardly depending flange depending from the first base flange and adownwardly depending flange depending from the second base flange. 6.The wall system of claim 5, wherein the mortar joint has a spacing ofabout 10 mm.
 7. The wall system of claim 1, wherein the one or more baseflanges of the first clip comprises one base flange, and wherein the oneor more connecting flanges of the first clip comprises an upwardlydepending flange and a downwardly depending flange, the upwardly anddownwardly depending flanges depending from the one base flange.
 8. Thewall system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of facing elements havefront faces with beveled edges.
 9. The wall system of claim 1, whereinthe plurality of stone or brick facing elements comprises detail pieces,and wherein the plurality of clips comprises one or more sill clips forretaining the detail pieces, each sill clip having a connecting flangethat is housed within a groove in an edge of one or more of the detailpieces, the connecting flange of the sill clip depending from a firstbase flange of the sill clip, the first base flange of the sill clipdepending from a support flange of the sill clip, the support flange ofthe sill clip having one or more apertures for accepting fastening meansfor fastening the sill clip to the structural wall.
 10. The wall systemof claim 9, wherein the sill clip comprises a second base flangedepending from the support flange of the sill clip to thereby provide amortar joint between the first and second base flanges.
 11. The wallsystem of claim 1, wherein the plurality of clips comprises one or morestarter strips for supporting facing elements, each starter strip havingan upwardly depending flange that is housed within the groove in thelower edge of one or more of the facing elements, the upwardly dependingflange of the starter strip depending from a base flange of the starterstrip, the base flange of the starter strip depending from a supportflange of the starter strip, the support flange of the starter striphaving one or more apertures for accepting fastening means for fasteningthe starter strip to the structural wall, the base flange of the starterstrip having a width greater than the distance from the rear faces tothe grooves of the facing elements, and the starter strip having alength long enough to span two or more facing elements arrangedside-by-side.
 12. The wall system of claim 11, wherein the base flangeof the starter strip has one or more drainage holes.
 13. The wall systemof claim 1, wherein the plurality of facing elements have first andsecond side edges, one or more of the first and second side edges haveside grooves therein for receiving the one or more connecting flanges ofone or more of the first clips for linking the facing elementsside-by-side.
 14. The wall system of claim 1, wherein one or more of thefacing elements is a one-piece corner facing element comprising a firstpart having a first outer face attached to a second part having a secondouter face, the first outer face at right angles to the second outerface.
 15. The wall system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of clips aremade of stainless steel.
 16. The wall system of claim 1, wherein thethickness of each facing element is about 1.25 inches.
 17. The wallsystem of claim 16, wherein the weight of each facing element is lessthan about 15 lbs/square foot.
 18. The wall system of claim 1, whereinthe structural wall comprises sheet material, and wherein the supportflanges of the first clips are fastened to the sheet material.
 19. Thewall system of claim 18 further comprising vertical drainage boardbetween the sheet material and the plurality of facing elements.
 20. Thewall system of claim 19 further comprising weather-resisting wall wrapbetween the drainage board and the sheet material.
 21. The wall systemof claim 20 further comprising a fabric layer between the drainage boardand the plurality of facing elements.
 22. The wall system of claim 21,wherein the structural wall comprises wood studs on which the sheetmaterial is mounted.
 23. A clip for linking first and second stone orbrick facing elements in a thin stone or thin brick wall system, eachfacing element having a weight, a thickness, an upper edge and a loweredge, the first facing element having a groove in the lower edgethereof, the second facing element having a groove in the upper edgethereof, each groove running along its respective edge at a distancefrom a rear face of its respective facing element, each groove having alength, a width and a depth, the clip comprising: (a) one or moreconnecting flanges housable within the groove in the lower edge of thefirst facing element and within the groove in the upper edge of one ofthe second facing elements; (b) the one or more connecting flangesdepending at right angles from one or more base flanges; (c) the one ormore base flanges depending at right angles from a support flange, thesupport flange having one or more apertures for accepting fasteningmeans for fastening the clip to a structural wall; and, (d) the one ormore base flanges having a width just equal to the distance from therear face to the groove of each facing element.
 24. The clip of claim 23having a length less than half the length of each groove to permitpositioning of the clip at any one of a plurality of positions along thegrooves.
 25. The clip of claim 23, wherein the one or more connectingflanges do not bottom-out in the grooves so that the weight of the firstfacing element is borne by one of the one or more base flanges of theclip.
 26. The clip of claim 23, wherein the one or more apertures in thesupport flange is one aperture.
 27. The clip of claim 23, wherein theone or more base flanges comprise first and second base flanges, thefirst and second base flanges depending at right angles from the supportflange to provide a mortar joint between the first and second baseflanges, and wherein the one or more connecting flanges comprises anupwardly depending flange depending at a right angle from the first baseflange and a downwardly depending flange depending at a right angle fromthe second base flange.
 28. The clip of claim 27, wherein the mortarjoint has a spacing of about 10 mm.
 29. The clip of claim 23, whereinthe one or more base flanges comprise one base flange depending at aright angle from the support flange, and wherein the one or moreconnecting flanges comprises an upwardly depending flange and adownwardly depending flange depending at right angles from the one baseflange.
 30. The clip of claim 23, wherein the one or more base flangescomprises a cylindrical base flange depending at a right angle from thesupport flange, and wherein the one or more connecting flanges comprisesa circular flange depending outwardly at a right angle from thecylindrical base flange.
 31. The clip of claim 23 made of stainlesssteel.
 32. A sill clip for retaining a detail piece in a thin stone orthin brick wall system, the detail piece being a stone or brick facingelement, the facing element having a thickness and an edge, the edgehaving a groove therein running along the edge at a distance from a rearface of the facing element, the groove having a length, a width and adepth, the sill clip comprising: (a) a connecting flange that ishousable within the groove in the edge of the facing elements; (b) theconnecting flange depending at a right angle from a first base flange;(c) the first base flange depending at a right angle from a supportflange, the support flange oriented upwardly; (d) the support flangehaving one or more apertures for accepting fastening means for fasteningthe sill clip to a structural wall; (e) the first base flange having awidth just equal to the distance from the rear face to the groove of thefacing element; and,
 33. The sill clip of claim 32 having a length lessthan half the length of the groove to permit positioning of the sillclip at any one of a plurality of positions along the groove.
 34. Thesill clip of claim 32 further comprising a second base flange dependingat a right angle from the support flange to thereby provide a mortarjoint between the first and second base flanges.
 35. The sill clip ofclaim 34, wherein the mortar joint has a spacing of about 10 mm.
 36. Thesill clip of claim 32, wherein the one or more apertures in the supportflange is one aperture.
 37. The sill clip of claim 32 made of stainlesssteel.
 38. A starter strip for supporting stone or brick facing elementsin a thin stone or thin brick wall system, each facing element having aweight, a thickness and an edge, the edge having a groove thereinrunning along the edge at a distance from a rear face of the facingelements, the groove having a length, a width and a depth, the starterstrip comprising: (a) a linking flange that is housed within the groovein the edge of one or more of the facing elements; (b) the linkingflange depending from a base flange; (c) the base flange depending froma support flange; the support flange having one or more apertures foraccepting fastening means for fastening the starter strip to astructural wall; the base flange having a width greater than thedistance from the rear faces to the grooves of the facing elements; and,(d) the starter strip having a length long enough to span two or moreadjacent facing elements.
 39. The starter strip of claim 38, wherein thebase flange has one or more drainage holes.
 40. The starter strip ofclaim 38, wherein the one or more apertures in the support flange aretwo or more apertures.
 41. The starter strip of claim 38, wherein thelinking flange has a height that does not bottom-out in the groove. 42.The starter strip of claim 38 made of stainless steel.